skybridge

babewiththepower.bsky.social · @babewiththepower.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Astrophysics for People in a Hurry 10/10

Not something I ever would've thought to say 20 years ago, this book took me back 20 years to somewhat fondly think of college physics. It probably has to do with not having to wrack my brains to remember formulas and figure out which ones to use! It also helps to have it written by the now well known Dr. Tyson, so he was the narrator in my head. I love listening to him speak about astrophysics because he has such enthusiasm and obvious love for his profession. That is everywhere in his book and is sorely lacking in how so many speak about many of the sciences. For me in particular I really enjoyed the essays on dark matter and dark energy. These are topics I'm not as familiar with, were never talked about in those long ago physics classes, and subjects I really needed a good little intro on. That's mainly what all these essays are, by the way. With how well written they are, approachable in my opinion, and with the aforementioned enthusiasm and wonder, I would hope it would inspire more people to delve more deeply into this or any other science. It closes with an essay titled "Reflections on the Cosmic Perspective" which I'd love to quote all of, but here is an important part after a psych prof wrote to Tyson asking to do a before-and-after depression survey because he was depressed after this referred to by Dr. Tyson: "Every time I see the [Hayden Planetarium] space show ['Passport to the Universe'] (and others we've produced), I feel alive and spirited and connected. I also feel large, knowing that the goings-on within the three-pound human brain are what enabled us to figure out our place in the universe. Allow me to suggest that it's the professor, not I, was who has misread nature. His ego was unjustifiably big to begin with, inflated by delusions of significance and fed by cultural assumptions that human beings are more important than everything else in the universe." Human ego trips up most of us from gaining and keeping that important and unifying cosmic perspective, we are all made of star stuff.

#book

Published 2026-08-18 17:59 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere